Dwarf cassowary

Dwarf cassowary
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vetebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Eoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Palaeognathae
Order	Struthioniformes
Sub-order	Casuarii
Family Information
Family	Casuariidae
Tribe Information
Tribe	Casuariini
Genus Information
Genus	Casuarius
Species Information
Species	C. bennetti
Population statistics
Population	Unknown
Conservation status	Near threatened

The dwarf cassowary (Casuarius bennetti) is a species of large, flightless bird of the family Casuariidae, and found in the mountainous, rain forested areas of the island of New Guinea, and characterized from other ratites by a bony crest on top of their heads.

Description

It is the smallest of the three species of cassowary, standing up to 4.9 feet long, and can weigh up to 57 lbs; females are slightly larger than the males. The hair-like plumage is silky in appearance, almost black in color, and hangs loosely from the bird; since there are no barbules on the feathers, the barbs cannot link to form a vein. The rudimentary wings are hidden from view, a set of four or five stiff spine-like shafts about fifteen inches long indicating where they are.

The neck is bare of feathers and brilliantly colored in shades of blue with patches of red, with no wattle. The head from the ears to the casque above is black in color; the casque itself is a triangular-shaped bony growth of keratin not more than three inches in height, less than half the height of its relatives.

The dwarf cassowary and its relatives also possess powerfully-muscled legs bearing three toed feet, the inner toe bearing a five-inch, nearly-straight claw. The claw functions as a defensive weapon, and the bird is known to attack anything it considers a threat via a leaping jump forward in combination with a kick; the birds are capable of disemboweling a victim with one blow.

Proposed subspecies

Seven subspecies have been proposed for C. bennetti over the years, based on physical differences. Current consensus indicates only one species, with no subspecies.

• Casuarius bennetti bennetti
• Casuarius bennetti goodfellowi
• Casuarius bennetti claudii
• Casuarius bennetti picticollis
• Casuarius bennetti hecki
• Casuarius bennetti shawmayeri
• Casuarius bennetti papuanus

Nesting

Dwarf cassowaries are basically solitary, coming together primarily to mate. The nest is barely a scraping on the forest floor, containing from three to eight eggs. After they are laid it is the males who incubate and rear the chicks until they are fledged. The chicks are a dull brown in color, broken by horizontal black bars; they gain their adult plumage within two years.

Diet

Despite its reputation as a dangerous bird, the cassowary is primarily a fruit eater. They pluck it from trees or pick up fallen fruit from the forest floor and swallow it whole; apples, plums, wild grapes, nightshade, and myrtle are part of the diet. When fruit is not available, or when the opportunity presents itself, cassowaries also take insects, small rodents, lizards, fish, and sometimes carrion.

Threats

Man is the predominant threat to cassowaries. Logging and the construction of airstrips have opened up dense forested areas of New Guinea; whether or not the additional hunting which followed had a unique impact on numbers remains to be seen. According to the IUCN Red Data List, the overall population of C. bennetti is declining, but an accurate count is difficult to get due to the area concerned.